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Project Signal Found

By Philip Mantle

Project SIGNAL FOUND is collaboration between Philip Mantle and the former Director of Investigations for the British UFO Research Association, and Nick Pope, the man who investigated UFOs for the British Ministry of Defence. This long-term study project looks entirely at UFO landing cases in the UK & Ireland. The idea behind it is simple. Most UFO researchers argue that the vast majority of UFO sightings can be explained in conventional terms. It is the contention of this project that UFO landings should be more difficult to misidentify than 'ordinary' UFO sightings. Philip Mantle will lead the project with Nick Pope acting in a consultancy capacity offering advice and assistance. Nick Pope had the following to say about this new venture: "I support Philip Mantle in this new initiative. Information overload is a big problem in UFO research. There are tens of thousands of cases and sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees. This project should help researchers focus on those cases most likely to involve physical evidence that might help take forward our understanding of the UFO mystery".

For example it is assumed that UFO landing reports are made by witnesses at close range, thus reducing the risk of misidentification. In the UK & Ireland there are no statistics anywhere of exactly how many alleged UFO landing reports have been made. There is therefore no information on the geographical location of such reports, no information on whether entities of any type were also reported or any physical marks left behind in the environment. I'm sure we are all aware of a certain few UFO landing cases in the UK but there is no repository where all such reports can be accessed, even in brief detail. This is where PROJECT SIGNAL FOUND begins.

It is our hope an intention to liase with UFO researchers and organisations throughout the UK & Ireland and of course witnesses themselves to bring together a database of information on UFO landing reports. Brief details would be updated on a web site as we progress (not yet available) and of course the occasional publication of some of this research in the various UFO publications that are currently available. We firmly believe that this is an area of research that has been sadly neglected down the years and we hope that individual UFO researchers and organisations alike will recognise the importance of such a study and cooperate accordingly. Similarly we hope that witnesses to these events will also offer their cooperation.

Just to give you an idea of the type of UFO landings cases we are looking at I am going to feature a few in brief for you now. See how many of these you are familiar with. They come from around the UK and Ireland and are featured here in brief in no particular order.

It was a cold February morning in l979. Phil Shepherdson was riding his motorcycle along the winding country lanes near Easingwold when he came across something that was to change his life forever. Hovering in the corner of a field was a black triangular-shaped object. There appeared to be one entity in a type of 'cockpit' with two other entities standing in the field next to it. All three entities turned to stare at Mr Shepherdson and he believed some kind of 'contact' was made. The craft then suddenly flew off with no sign of the entities remaining. Shepherdson stated that "I turned to look in a field to my left and what I saw just blew my mind. There was a black triangular-shaped object in the field in total silence. At the top of this object was a cockpit of some kind and there was a figure inside it. All I could see was a black-shaped helmet and some sort of black overall. The entity began to turn and look in my direction, I was transfixed. At the side of this craft were two figures, which appeared also to stop what they were doing and look in my direction. For several moments I was just spellbound, I was shaking. There was complete silence as we looked at each other. I certainly had some form of contact; I just don't know what it was. I just had an intense feeling of some connection. I could not move and I could not think. I was rooted to the spot. Suddenly my mind did not accept it anymore and I got on my bike and took off to work". He went on: "I forgot about it almost as if I was told that it was something I should not be witnessing."

At the time Mr Shepherdson worked as a chemical technician at Rowntrees. He cannot remember what time he got to work that day although he knew it was later than usual." I don't know how long I was there. I have no idea". He did not tell his work colleagues or anyone else of his encounter. He blanked it out of his mind. Shepherdson claims that since that event nothing has grown in the field where the object was observed. His final comments on what he may have observed: "Not in a million years was that an aircraft."

David Thomas was walking home that night. It was four and a half miles and it was three in the morning. There was a sprinkling of snow on the ground that evening and the 19 year-old David had just spent the evening with friends. He'd been walking for about 20 minutes when he thought he could still hear that nights rock music pounding in his head. He stood still for a while but there was no sound, it was an eerie silence. There was no sound of the breeze, no rustle of the grass, no sound at all. But David then could make out a faint humming sound almost like an electric generator of some sort. David knew this area well and knew there were no generators anywhere that would make such a noise.

David followed to where the sound seemed to coming from up ahead. Leaving the road he walked up a small dirt track that bordered the field. There in the field to his amazement was an object the like which he had never seen before. A domed disc-shaped object complete with antennae and stabilizers was sitting in the field. It had drawbridge-like hatchway and windows along the top. There was no obvious lighting but David said that the object seemed to have a dull fluorescent glow to it.

David's attention was caught by movement off to one side. Turning his head he saw a group of humanoid figures making there way towards him across the field. His immediate reaction was to turn and flee. Turning around to get out of their David's way was blocked by one of these humanoid figures. David felt a hand-like grip on his arm and suddenly he was being propelled forward towards the object in the field. His feet never seemed to touch the ground and he is not sure how this happened but he was now inside the object. The humanoids were there and David described them as wearing octagonal shaped helmets, which were featureless apart from two dim lights positioned where their eyes should have been. They wore grey clothing with gold-coloured belts and straps that looked similar to braces, black knee boots and gloves.

There is a lot more to this particular encounter as David later described a full-blown abduction event. When interviewed by UFO researchers David was able to remember everything without the use of any form of regressive hypnosis. When interviewed by myself it was quite clear that the event did have quite a profound effect on him and many years after the events it still terrified him.

Forestry worker Robert Taylor set off that morning into Dechmont Woods near Livingston pretty much like he had every other morning. He drove his truck into the woods with his faithful pet dog beside him for company. He had set off that morning just after 10 a.m. knowing that he'd have to park his truck and make the last part of his journey on foot. At around 10.15 a.m. he parked the truck by the side of the road and, accompanied by his dog, set off through the woodland along a track that was impassable to any vehicle. Robert Taylor had worked for the forestry department for 16 years and the 61 year-old knew every inch of Dechmont woods.

Robert was making his way into a small clearing in the wood but as he rounded the bend he was totally unprepared for what was about to confront him. In the clearing stood a domed-shaped object some 30 feet high. It was grey in colour, perfectly silent and it stopped Robert dead in his tracks. Robert described a type of 'flange' around the bottom of this object with antennae-like protrusions with small rotors on top. Transfixed by this incredible sight Robert also noticed several 'porthole' type apertures in the top section of the dome.

It was while looking these portholes that the 'sea mines' appeared. That was how Robert described them. Two spherical objects with spiky protrusions suddenly came rolling over the ground towards him. They had six or more of these spikes and looked about 3 feet in diameter. These strange objects made a sucking or popping sound as each of the spikes touched the ground. Within seconds Roberts had one of these objects at either side of him. He felt a strong tug on his trousers and these spheres seemed to by trying to pull him towards the main object. Robert tried to resist and there was a pungent smell in air. It was no surprise that Robert lost consciousness. He vaguely remembered a 'whooshing' sound and his dog was barking like mad.

Staggering back to his feet the object had now gone. Robert somehow managed to stagger home and report to his wife that he had been attacked. Quite naturally his wife Mary telephoned the local police. In the days, weeks and months that went by the police did a full investigation of the incident. Marks on the ground were found at the location and eventually the official report by the Livingston Criminal Investigation Department concluded:

Despite extensive inquiries made, no information was been gained which could indicate what, in fact, made the marks on the ground at the location. Mr. Taylor is a respected member of the community and is described as a conscientious and trustworthy person, not likely to invent a story.

In short, the police investigation believed what Mr. Taylor had to say but could not find and thing to explain the incident away. This is one of the few UFO sightings in the UK to be officially investigated. The site of the encounter is now marked by a commemorative plaque, which was the result of collaboration between Scottish UFO researchers and the Livingston Development Corporation.

Peter Simmons lived just to the north of Dublin. He and a friend plus their respective wives and children went to spend a long weekend in Glenmalur Valley, a heavily wooded area of County Wicklow. Soon after arriving the entire group of adults and children decided to go for a walk. It was late evening but still bright, and it was their intention to get some fresh air and stretch their legs. With the children in front the party walked along chatting when suddenly they noticed a small figure, wearing what looked like overalls, busily tinkering with things at the top of a telephone pole. The group thought this odd and walking past they realised that if this was a telephone engineer at work then where was his van ? There were no houses or entrances nearby where such a van could be parked out of sight. They turned to look back at the figure but it had disappeared.

The group returned to where they were staying and mulled over the evenings events. Thy all decided to forget about it and instead set about planning what they were going to do for the rest of their stay. All that is except Peter Simmons. Peter didn't like unresolved problems and this event had bothered him. There must have been a vehicle of some sort nearby and he wanted to prove it. With everyone else preparing for bed Peter told his wife that he was going outside for a smoke. Once outside he quickly walked back down the road to where they had seen the figure up the telephone pole. Passing a gate Peter looked into the field. There were lights in the distance. Surely lights from houses or caravans. Then he noticed another light, this time a lot closer, and then several more, in various colours, clustered together in one small area.

Peter zipped up his jackets against the cold, climbed over the gate and walked towards these lights. He soon realised that they were much closer than he had anticipated. Upon approaching the lights it soon became apparent that they were not attached to a house or a caravan. There in the field was a saucer-shaped object resting on four legs. Peter was scared. Lights began to flashing all over the noiseless object. Simon's legs had turned to jelly but instinct took over. It was time to get out of there. He quite simply turned and fled and ran as fast as his legs would carry him.

Peter Simmons had never been terrified before in his life. He got very little sleep that night, and when he finally plucked up courage to tell his wife she laughed at him at first. She believed him later but still felt a degree of embarassment about it all.

These are just a few examples of UFO landing reports from the UK and Ireland. The accounts themselves are fascinating and compelling but so is the reaction of the witnesses involved. Phil Shepherdson for example simply gets on his motorbike and goes to work. He says nothing to no one. David Thomas was quite literally terrified. When he reached home he immediately told his mother what had happened. Robert Taylor's wife telephoned the police, who in turn conducted a full investigation, and Peter Simmons told his wife.

There is little doubt that there are many more examples of UFO landing reports in the UK & Ireland that have yet to see the light of day. Such reports could be languishing in the dusty files of UFO researchers or UFO research organisations, and others may have simply gone unreported by the witnesses themselves. Whatever the case Project Signal Found would like your cooperation.

If you have investigated or researched an alleged UFO landing report from anywhere in the UK & Ireland then we would like to hear from you. Similarly if you have witnesses such an event we would like you to get in touch. Confidentiality is guaranteed in all instances. We can be contacted at the following: